PATERSON – City officials are looking to hire a company to help them remove asbestos from inside the Paterson Armory, a preliminary step in an effort to reopen a recreation facility that has been closed for more than two decades.

“The overall plan is to get our jewel back in shape so our city can use it again,” said Mayor Jeffery Jones, who made the revival of the Armory one of the goals of his administration.

Jones said developers and other groups have been reluctant to take on the renovation of the Armory because of its contamination. “Nobody wants to touch it until we have a clean building,” said Jones. “This is something that should have been done a long time ago.”

Four engineering firms submitted bids on March 14 for preparing the asbestos removal plans. Their proposed prices ranged from $16,750 for the LEW Corporation of Mountainside to $136,700 for Pennoni Associates of Edison, according to municipal purchasing director Harry Cevallos. Paterson now has 60 days to pick one of the companies for the job.

After the design work is done, the city then must hire a company for the more costly task of removing the asbestos.

Councilman Kenneth Morris questioned the wisdom of spending scarce municipal funds on the asbestos removal before the city has found an investor willing to redevelop the building. “We can’t do this in patchwork fashion,” said Morris. “This should be done as one complete plan. If there’s a plan, what’s step two? I haven’t heard it.”

Two years ago, at Jones’ request, the Paterson Parking Authority produced artist renderings of what the Armory could look like as the result of an ambitious renovation that officials estimate would cost as much as $45 million.

After those drawings were done, city leaders created the Paterson Armory Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that was supposed to raise money for the facility’s revival. But so far, officials say the contamination issues have gotten in the way of progress on the project.

Jones said the issues at the Armory reflect a citywide challenge. Environmental issues complicate almost every development effort being pushed by the city, Jones said.

“Of course, we know we’re the first planned industrial city, but what that means is we have all the ills of being the first planned industrial city,” the mayor said.